Thomas J Donohue, president of the
US Chamber of Commerce, is currently leading a delegation of
members to Cuba and has already held talks with Bruno
Rodríguez Parrilla, minister of foreign relations and
Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, minister of foreign trade and
investment.

He took an early opportunity of emphasising
his interest in boosting a greater rapprochement between the
US business community and Cuba, in favour of the progress of
the two peoples, only a few days after 44 US citizens -
politicians, economists and commentators - signed a petition
asking President Obama to ease the blockade. 'This is
the moment to give the new generations of Cuban and US
citizens the opportunity to know each other better, do
business and support each other as friends and neighbours'
he said, having for years been a strong opponent of the
economic, commercial and financial blockade Washington
imposed on Cuba half a century ago.

In the presence of
students and Cuban state and government officials, Donahue
stated that the presidency of Barack Obama could create new
ways to increase imports and exports between the two
nations, in addition to expanding diplomacy and promoting
people-to-people exchanges.

The delegation includes Steve
Van Andel, board chairman of the US body and president of
Amway, along with Marcel Smits, executive vice president of
the US CoC and chief financial officer of the Cargill
Corporation.

For many years, he said, the policy had been
marked by differences between the two governments and it was
time to change that approach.

Donohue’s schedule
included a tour of the Special Development Zone of Mariel,
and he stressed to his audience the importance of the
facility in the expansion of Cuba’s economic bonds with
the world, and to understand that direct foreign investment
is a powerful tool in the creation of jobs and wealth.

The mission will meet with businessmen and officials of
the Caribbean nation in search of new business and
investment opportunities on the island: also with the
delegation were other executives and chamber representatives
who will hold further meetings and visit places of interest,
primarily linked to the process of updating Cuba’s
economic model.

TOP LEVEL
MEETING

Army General Raul Castro, president
of the councils of state and ministers, also met Thomas J.
Donohue, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the US on
its visit to Cuba.

A
Mexican delegation of officials and business representatives
has visited the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) which
is seen as 'a spearhead toward many markets,' ProMexico
general director Francisco Gonzalez told media this
week.

During the first day of the visit, officials from
both countries expressed their interest in strengthening
trade relations. With that in mind, the ProMexico office in
Cuba was opened, while ProMexico and the Cuban Centre for
the Promotion of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment
(CEPEC) signed a cooperation agreement.

Gonzalez stated
that the office will be a very important bridge to
facilitate bilateral economic relations.

CEPEC director
Roberto Verrier commented that there had been a relaunch of
trade relations between the nations ever since the official
visit of President Enrique Peña Nieto to Havana in
January.

The signed agreement is seen as very important,
taking place in the framework of the New Foreign Investment
Law recently approved here, and the creation of the ZEDM,
some 50 kilometres west of Havana.

The delegation was made
up of 60 business representatives and eight government
officials.Back to
topCuba to repel all US
subversion plans

Cuba will repel all US
subversive plans, including those using communication
technologies, the Granma newspaper reports.Washington
justifies its programs against the island under the pretext
of providing 'free flow of information to the Cuban people,'
it stated, pointing out that the policy of economic,
commercial and financial embargo prohibits exports of
technology and telecommunications equipment to Havana.

Torricelli of 1992 and Helms-Burton of 1996 were quoted
as US laws prohibiting any investment by US entities in the
Cuban national telecommunications services, adding that the
embargo also bans the acquisition of licences of software
products and denies access to institutions and Cuban
citizens to Internet sites and services, including those of
information and technical tools like PC Tools and
Netbeans.

Worldwide entities such as Microsoft, Mozilla,
Adobe, Google and Sourceforge implement the US government
prohibitions against Cuba, noted Oscar Sanchez, deputy
director of Granma in the article.

In the case of Google,
Cubans could not access tools like Google Analytic, Google
Earth, Google Desktop Search and Google Toolbar.

Such
restrictions were comprehensive for the use of free software
and its most popular browser Sourceforge by Cuba, which
violates the premise of the Open Source Initiative, an
organization dedicated to the promotion of free
software.

Sanchez pointed out that Cuba cannot connect to
the tens of submarine optical fibre cables around the
island, which forces them to seek more costly alternatives
for their Internet connectivity.

Paradoxically, the
US government has announced its plans to take a submarine
cable to the territory illegally occupied by the naval base
at Guantanamo Bay, in clear violation of the sovereignty of
Cuba, he says, also stating that while Washington promotes
secret programs like Zunzuneo, Piramideo and finances a
digital diary with subversive purposes, it at the same time
imposes sanctions on US telecommunication and foreign
companies which serve Cuba.

It concludes that the US
government is the only one in the world that forbids its
citizens to visit Cuba freely, thereby preventing contacts,
exchanges, communication and the free flow of information
between the two peoples.

Montevideo: President Jose Mujica received a large Cuban
delegation on a visit to Uruguay last week to learn about
the cattle-breeding experience in his country. Led by
Cuban deputy economy and finance minister Maria Elena Velez,
and deputy agriculture minister Jesus Garcia Piloto, the
delegation was accompanied by the Uruguayan president on a
visit this weekend to a major cattle ranch in the Rio Negro
region.Mujica said that along with this training, he
seeks 'to help repay a part of the support given to train
more than 400 Uruguayan physicians who are already working
here.'

A Cuban medical brigade that has carried out more
than 45,000 eye surgeries as an example of the Cuban
solidarity with the Uruguayan people is currently at work in
Uganda.

In statements to local media, the president stated
that 'although the conditions are very different, there are
general principles of diet and animal husbandry that can
provide useful experience.'

The delegation, comprising 23
Cuban agronomists, is also accompanied by Cuban ambassador
Mercedes Vicente, who told media that this exchange is a
result of the excellent state of relations between Cuba and
Uruguay.

Director-general of the World Health
Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, has congratulated Cuba on
its presidency of the 67th World Health Assembly, held in
Geneva, Switzerland.Before the three thousand delegates
from 194 member states, Chan highlighted the health care
results of Cuba, presiding over the assembly for first time
as the representing country from the Americas
region.Among the issues discussed by the World Health
Assembly was the strategy to fight tuberculosis, the
vaccination programme for the next decade, hepatitis,
response to non-transmittable diseases and the impact of the
climate change on certain illnesses.Cuba's minister of
public health, Roberto Morales Ojeda, congratulated Margaret
Chan on her leadership and flexibility with the organization
and its member states - a key element to unify positions and
achieve the necessary consensus to make possible the success
of the reunion.

Cuba
shows important advances in terms of education, health and
comprehensive protection of minors, Begoña Arellano,
representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) to the island told media at the end of his visit
last week.

Thanks to the political willingness of
the Cuban government, these indicators are excellent, he
said during the 2nd International Conference on Child
Protection under way in this capital on the occasion of the
25th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child.

Arellano said that this year
UNICEF and Cuba began a new cooperation programme on the
rights of the infant-youth population, which includes many
social sectors and will last until 2018.

Held at
Havana’s Palco Hotel, the forum, organized by the Interior
Ministry, brings together over specialists from 20 nations,
among them officials of the regional offices of UNICEF, as
well as representatives of the various Cuban ministries and
organizations.

As part of the programme delegates
and guests will visit those Havana's municipalities in where
community projects aimed at encouraging children’s
cultural and general development are carried out. Back to
topWHO:
inclusion of Cuba in terrorist states list unfair

Angola's minister of health Jose Van-Dunem has called the
US government's decision to continue including Cuba in the
list of States sponsoring terrorism a total injustice'A
generous, hospitable, and altruistic country does not
deserve an injustice like that,' Van-Dunem told media during
his participation at the World Health Organization Assembly,
which has now concluded its current sessions at the Palace
of Nations.

The minister recalled Cuba's support for the
liberation of Angola, when she was invaded in the north and
south by South African and Zairean troops, backed by the
Western powers.

'The public health network was destroyed
more than 70 percent over 30 years, and now we have rebuilt
55 percent of it,' said Van-Dunem.

The Angolan minister of
health recalled that Cuba contributed to the training of
health professionals and created five medicine faculties in
the country, as well as offering 100 scholarships for young
Angolan people annually.

Van-Dunem said that 2000 Cuban
doctors are currently working in Angola, many of them in the
70 municipalities taking part in 'trio programmes' made up
of doctor, monitor and nurse.

The teams are located in the
most populated areas and results are extraordinary, he
said.

The minister, who takes part in the 67th World
Health Organization Assembly (WHO), chaired by Cuba, said
that they fight against malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS; the
decrease of the mother and child mortality rate; and the
fight against transmissible diseases are among his
priorities.

Various nations recognized the support Cuba
has given to many nations during its 55 years of
Revolution.

More than
2.5 million people have recovered or improved vision today
thanks to Operation Miracle, a Cuban-Venezuelan programme
underway in many countries and whose benefits are recognized
here by many health authorities.

Pilar Gonzalez, director
of the Uruguayan National Rural Health Plan, told media that
the Jose Marti eye centre, where more than 40,000 free
surgeries have been carried out, has been operating in her
country since 2007.

'We are very grateful for the
Cuban collaboration. We consider this an example of
international solidarity,' said Gonzalez at the annual
assembly of the World Health Organization
(WHO).

Gonzalez - also assistant minister of the
Health Ministry - stated that a team of Cuban and Uruguayan
physicians make weekly visits to small towns and rural areas
throughout the country, to detect patients suffering from
eye afflictions and have them sent to Montevideo.

A great
number of people suffering from cataracts and other diseases
improved their vision and with it, their quality of life,
Gonzalez said.

Not only adults but also children are being
assisted at the Jose Marti eye centre where human resources
and research training take place.

The Operation Miracle
programme emerged in 2004 on the initiative of the leader of
the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, supported by Venezuela.
Its objective is to assist low-income people who have become
blind from curable causes.

The programme is addressing
some six million patients in Latin America, the Caribbean,
Africa, and Asia.

The World Health Organization stated
that about 80 percent of visual impairment cases can be
avoided or cured.Back to
top

Most Cuban Children
with leukemia have high survival rate

The
incorporation of Cuba in an international group for
treatment of leukemia to increase the survival rate of
patients, which has now grown to be over 70 percent since
the 80s when Cuba joined the protocols of the
Berlin-Frankfurt-Müster Group, along with 15 other
countries.

The protocols have contributed to improvement
of the results, Dr Sergio Machin, head of the pediatrics
group in the Institute of Haematology and Immunology of
Havana (IHH) told media.

'The survival percentage was too
low in the past, but now, there are data similar to those
obtained by developed nations,' he said.

'In pediatrics,
leukemia is the kind of cancer presents most. But within the
condition there is a kind of leukemia called Acute Linfoid
that has a high healing potential.

'The cause is unknown
in most of the cases, but it is not contagious. Most of the
times it presents in healthy children.

'Even when the
leukemia symptoms are fever, anaemia and hematomas, the
disease can cause changes, and this makes the diagnosis more
difficult.'

Doctor Machin said numerous factors have been
identified at the disease inception which can contribute to
predict its evolution and diagnosis, such as the nutrition
of the children, and an early diagnosis.

He also noted
that in Cuba malignant haematological conditions are handled
by seven institutions, including two in Havana, one each in
Pinar del Rio, Villa Clara, Camaguey, Holguin and Santiago
de Cuba, all providing services where necessary conditions
provide demand along with a well trained medical team.

Machin also told media that transplants of haematopoietic
progenitor cells constitute a therapeutic option for some
cases.

The success of the procedure depends critically on
a match between donor and receiver, he said, recalling that
both the drug treatment and transplant are performed in Cuba
free, but are very expensive.

When immature blood cells
proliferate and reproduce without control in the bone
marrow, they accumulate there but also in the blood,
replacing the normal cells.

Back to
topFrench
fishermen confirm presence at Hemingway tournament in
Cuba

France, with six boats confirmed, leads
the group of countries that will participate from 64 th
Ernest Hemingway Marlin Fishing International Tournament
this month.

Marlin SA Nautical and Marinas Business
Group representatives told media that to date 17 crews
including the United States (5) and Canada (4), have already
confirmed participation.

The competition, one of the
oldest globally, will also be attended by teams from Mexico
and England, and the total enrolment is almost double last
year when nine only boats were involved.

According
to Mario Ramos, Marlin's business manager, the event will
start on June 9 with the traditional skippers meeting at
Hemingway Marina Residential, where the sport fishers will
receive details on the competition.

As a
contribution to the preservation of the species, the use of
circle hooks is being introduced to minimize possible damage
to marlins or Dorados, and the introduction of satellite
tagging systems, which spread knowledge of fish behavious,
said the director of development, business and quality,
Francisco Diaz.

It is expected next year’s event
to be attended by at least 50 boats because Cuba is also
hosting the 35th International Tourism Fair, which will be
specifically devoted to marine leisure.

The Ernest
Hemingway Marlin Fishing International Tournament,
popularised at the beginning of the 1950s by the Nobel Prize
for Literature winner stands out as one of the first in the
world, only surpassed by the Tuna World Cup tuna, in Nova
Scotia, and the Tarpon Tournament in Mexico.

Nelson Mandela, then Deputy President of the African National Congress of South Africa, raises his fist in the air while addressing the Special Committee Against Apartheid in the General Assembly Hall. UN Photo/P. Sudhakaran More>>